Amy
by HeartlandLB
Summary: This one shot is a different version of the events that took place in episode 209 Showdown. Tim was not the only one shot.


The instant Caleb and Ty broke through the trees, everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The sound of a gunshot echoing in their ears, they watched as Tim jumped between the man firing the gun and his daughter running through the field toward him. They both stopped, watching in disbelief as Tim fell to the ground, but panic over took them a split second later as Amy too fell to the ground.

Jack screamed out her name. He couldn't go to her with the gunman holding the gun on him. Ty and Caleb didn't dare move either. All they could do was stand and stare at the scene in front of them, hoping that Amy would move, but she didn't.

The cattle rustlers loaded up their ATVs and took off in the trucks with most of Tim's herd of cows as Tim sat up, turning to see his daughter lying on the ground fifty feet behind him. He staggered to his feet, holding his one arm that had been grazed by the bullet, as Jack ran past him on his way to Amy. While Caleb was frozen in place, Ty was running full speed to reach Amy. He fell to his knees, his eyes fixed on the blood spilling out of her chest. He took his jacket off and placed it over the wound, applying pressure to control the bleeding. He yelled at anyone to call for help.

Jack had his cell phone out already and was talking to the 911 operator. Tim came up to him, starring in disbelief at his daughter lying on the ground with blood all over her. He thought he had deflected the bullet by jumping in front of the gunman, but he hadn't. The bullet had grazed his arm and hit Amy square in the chest, taking his daughter down. He bent down, looking at Ty with fear in his eyes.

"How bad is it, Ty? Is she going to be okay?"

Ty just looked at Tim, not knowing what to say. All he knew was he could not lose Amy.

Several hours later, the family sat frozen in the hospital waiting room. No one could speak; the fear was so overwhelming at the possibility of losing Amy. Every one of them was lost in their own thoughts of what they would have to face if Amy didn't survive the surgery.

Jack was thinking of when Marion had died several years earlier and the fact that he had almost lost his granddaughter at the same time. He could not bear the thought of losing Amy. She was the heart and soul of Heartland. She had her Mom's gift of working with abused and neglected horses. The dream of Heartland would not go on without Amy.

Tim, having come from emergency, sat in his chair staring into space. This was his fault. Amy was fighting for her life because he'd taken matters into his own hands and tried to take on the cattle rustlers without help from the RMCP. He was so stubborn sometimes, and his stubbornness just might cost him his daughter.

Lou was angry with everyone. At Jack and Tim for thinking they could handle the rustlers on their own. At Caleb and Ty for taking on the job of watching Tim's herd when they should have been taking care of the chores so that Amy wouldn't have had to come home to a filthy barn, which led to the bad mood, which led to the ride. She sat crying softly.

Ty was struggling with the fact that he might lose the only person who believed in him and made him feel loved. How could he have been so stupid to let her go? She was the only person he ever wanted to be with. He loved her more than life itself, so why was he so afraid to tell her?

He made a promise to himself that if Amy survived the surgery, he would do whatever it took to get her back and make sure she knew how much she meant to him.

Caleb wasn't even at the hospital. He'd gone back to the ranch to take care of the horses and clean up the barn—what he was supposed to have done before Amy came home from school. He felt guilty that he'd upset her and ultimately put her in harm's way.

Finally, the surgeon walked into the room and ask for Amy Fleming's family. Everyone stood up with fear etched on their faces as they waited to hear the news. The doctor explained that the bullet had nicked the main artery that supplied blood to the heart. She had lost a lot of blood but had survived the surgery. She was in critical condition. The next several hours would be touch and go. They had put her into a drug-induced coma to let her body recover from the trauma without the worry of stress effecting her. Jack asked if they could see her, and the doctor told them he would allow one visitor at a time as he didn't want any noise or commotion around Amy. She needed a lot of quiet and rest in order for her body to heal.

They all took turns sitting with Amy. She was never left alone as the doctor stated it would be helpful for her to hear familiar voices.

Amy was floating through space. She didn't remember what had happened to her or where she was. She would hear voices talking, but nothing made any since. She talked with her mom several times, but it felt strange knowing her mom was there with her. She didn't know why, but she wasn't supposed to be here, wherever here was.

She was lost, not knowing what day it was or even what time. She didn't recognize anything until she heard a familiar voice speak to her. It was in the distance, but it was there and she knew that voice. It was soft and calming, and she felt safe when she heard it. Her heart rate would slow and her breathing would become calm; the nurse on duty had noticed the difference.

The doctor kept Amy in a coma for a couple of days and then told the family they would start reducing the drugs slowly, allowing her to wake up. He mentioned that there was one person that Amy had responded to in the coma, and he wanted that person there with her as much as possible to help bring her back to the present.

Ty was surprised to find out it was him, but he was happy too; he wanted nothing more than to be with Amy. He would do anything for her.

Ty would hold her hand, talking to her about Spartan and the other horses, telling her the events of his day and what was happening around the ranch, and letting her know how much he missed seeing her blue eyes and her infectious smile. He always kept his conversation light and happy, not wanting to stress her out. There would be plenty of time for explaining after she woke up, if she woke up. But Ty would not allow his mind to go there. Amy would wake up, and she would know how much he loved her and needed her.

After an extremely long day with still no sign of Amy waking, Jack came to relieve Ty and send him home for some much-needed sleep and a shower. He reluctantly agreed and was walking out to his truck when he heard a familiar voice.

"Hi, stranger. I was just coming to see you." Kit wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Ty froze, not responding to her touch or the kiss for that matter. Kit! He hadn't even thought of her these past several days. He was so caught up in what was happening with Amy.

Kit backed away with a look that made Ty sorry, but he couldn't help it. He wasn't going to lie to her. He liked Kit but not the way she wanted him to.

"Hi, Kit." Was all he could manage to say?

She stood there staring at him for a few minutes until he saw her eyes start to well up with tears. "I knew this is why I hadn't heard from you. It's Amy. You've been with Amy all this time, haven't you?"

Ty looked at her and then hung his head. He didn't want to do this right now. He was tired and really didn't have the energy, but knew he needed to say something to her.

"Look, Kit, I like you, but I'm not going to lie to you. I like you as a friend, and I know that's not what you want to hear, but that's how I feel."

With tears rolling down her cheeks, she looked at him one last time and asked, "It's been Amy all along, hasn't it?"

Ty didn't answer; he just looked at her. She turned to walk away, hoping he would beg her to stop, but he didn't.

Ty watched as Kit walked to her truck, and he knew he should say something, but he was too tired and too worried about Amy to deal with it right now. He owed Kit more, and at some point he would talk with her, but not now. Now his mind and heart were with Amy. He opened the door to his truck and climbed in. Not even able to start it, he lay down across the seat and slept.

When Jack walked out of the hospital several hours later, he saw Ty's truck still in the lot. He walked over to it and peered through the window. There was Ty, his body slumped across the seat, sleeping. Jack smiled to himself. In one respect, he was happy that Ty hadn't tried to drive home, but in another he was frustrated; Ty needed to get some real sleep in a bed and some food to keep up his strength. But he also knew how much Amy being shot had affected the young man, so his anger subsided and he open the door and gently touched Ty's sleeping form.

Ty shot straight up, scaring the heck out of Jack and causing him to take a step backward. "Whoa, Ty, it's okay. It's just me, Jack."

Ty turned his head toward the sound of Jack's voice, and then he remembered where he was and why. "Jack, is Amy okay? Is she awake yet?"

"No, Ty, not yet, but she's talking. We can't understand what she's saying, but the nurse says that's a good sign—that her brain's starting to come out of the fog."

Ty sat for a minute and then started to get out of his truck when Jack took hold of his arm. "Ty, you need to go home and get some real rest and eat something. Lou is with Amy. She'll call us if anything happens."

Ty shook his head, looking at Jack with tears in his eyes. "I can't leave her, Jack. I need to be there when she wakes up! I love her, and I need to tell her how stupid I was for going away, and I will never leave her again."

Jack knew Ty meant every word he said, so he stepped back and let Ty get out. "Okay, I understand, but you are going to get some food in you to keep you upright and functioning first. Okay?" He smiled. "And I think you need to freshen up a bit before she sees you looking the way you do right now."

Ty nodded, knowing he must look a fright, and he was hungry, so he let Jack lead the way to a small hotel down the block from the hospital. It was not fancy, but it was clean with a bed and a shower. Jack told Ty to take a shower and put on the clean clothes he had brought him while he went and got some food for them.

Ty thanked Jack and went in to the bathroom. The hot water felt good against his tired muscles, so he stood there for a while just letting it cascade over his body. A few minutes after Ty had shut off the water and wrapped himself in a towel, he heard Jack come back. He walked out to the smell of food, and his stomach immediately began to growl.

Jack smiled. "Get some clothes on quick, before the food gets cold." Ty was back out in a flash with his jeans and t-shirt on and sat down at the little table where Jack had placed the food. Fifteen minutes later he had managed to eat all the eggs and bacon and was finishing up the stack of hotcakes, not to mention drinking two cups of coffee to wash it all down with. Jack was smiling at him, when Ty looked up and said, "What, what's wrong?" Then he thought a minute and said, "Oh, geez, Jack, I'm sorry. I ate everything and didn't even think about you."

"No problem, Ty. I already had breakfast, so it's fine. How you feeling?"

Ty smiled. "Better. I hadn't realized how hungry I was." He finished up and went into the bathroom to shave and finish dressing. He came out ten minutes later looking like a human being again.

"Hey, you clean up pretty good." Jack patted Ty on the back. "What do you say we head back to the hospital to relieve Lou?"

Ty was out the door in a flash, headed for the hospital at nearly a run. Jack just smiled as he locked the door behind him.

Ty was walking down the hall to Amy's room when this strange feeling came over him. He picked up the pace and reached the room several steps in front of Jack. He opened the door to and empty bed.

Amy. Where was Amy?

Panic griped his heart as Ty began scanning the room for any sign of Amy or Lou. Did he have the right room? Where was she?

Jack came up behind him. "What's wrong, Ty? Why aren't you going in?" Then Jack noticed the empty bed and knew instantly what Ty was thinking. He put his hand on the young man's shoulder. "Ty, it's okay. They probably just took Amy down for a test." But Jack was worried too. He walked over to the waiting room, looking for Lou, but didn't see her. By then Ty had started down the hall towards the nurse's station at almost a run. Jack picked up the pace and caught up to him just as he reached the desk.

"Excuse me, ma'am, can you tell us where my granddaughter, Amy Fleming, is? She's not in her room at the moment."

"Mr. Bartlett?" the nurse asked. Jack nodded. "Your granddaughter has been taken down for some x-rays. Your other Granddaughter went down to the cafeteria for some coffee, she should be back shortly. "

Jack sighed and shook his head, letting her know he understood, and thanked her.

Jack and Ty were walking back to Amy's room when Lou appeared in the hall. She smiled at them as Jack ask if Amy had woken up yet. Lou shook her head. She saw the look on Ty's face and then realized what he must have thought when the room was empty. She walked over and hugged Ty.

"Ty, it's Ok, Amy will be back shortly."

Ty nodded, taking a deep breath. His heart beating so fast he thought his chest was going to explode. He needed to see Amy, to touch her and know she was alive. A few minutes later he got his wish. They brought her back to the room. Lou motion to Jack to follow her out to the hall,

Ty walked to the bedside. Looking down at Amy, so pale and fragile, he almost lost it. He took a deep breath, he was not going to fall apart. He carefully reached for her hand and took it in his. It was soft and warm and it brought a smile to his face, remembering a time when she'd touched his cheek.

Amy stirred ever so slightly, but Ty saw it, and his heart skipped a beat. He bent down to whisper in her ear, "I'm here, Amy, right here."

Amy was somewhere in the void between dreams and reality, not knowing where she was and not feeling much of anything, until she felt the touch of his hand on hers and his voice in her ear.

She knew that voice and could feel the warmth of his hand as he held hers. She needed to wake up. She wanted to see his face, his bright green eyes.

"Ty? Ty."

Her voice was weak and barely audible, but he heard her. He heard her say his name, and a tear slid down his cheek. He squeezed her hand, letting her know he was there. He watched her eyes slowly flutter open and begin to focus on his, and just for an instant a small smile crossed her face as she saw his green eyes looking back at her.

"Amy, it's okay. I'm here. Just rest." Ty kissed her hand, reassuring her that it was okay.

Amy drifted back into the void, but it was different this time. She could feel Ty's presence and his touch pulling her back to the present. She was tired, but she knew he was there waiting, and she knew where she belonged now.

Ty sat down in the chair and closed his eyes, trying to hold back the tears. He knew now that he was going to have the chance to make things right with her, and he would do whatever it took to ensure that she knew how much he loved her. He stayed by her side, holding her hand, reassuring her that he was not leaving her ever again.


End file.
